Growing up on a vineyard, I had never thought of fruit as more than a sweet treat or after-school snack ““ until now. The Public Fruit Meditation, conducted by artist collective Fallen Fruit, was a workshop held at the Hammer Museum this past weekend that prompted participants to rethink their relationship with the world by exploring the symbolic value of fruit.
Walking into a dimly lit room lined with displays of apples, oranges and bananas, I was greeted by the smell of fresh coffee and a friendly hello. The workshop began with a brief slideshow presentation detailing the history and successes of Fallen Fruit. Beginning in 2004, three friends ““ Matias Viegener, Austin Young and David Burns ““ decided that fruit, symbols of goodness and generosity, should be shared with the public. They began creating maps of public fruit: the fruit trees growing on or over public property in Los Angeles. Eight years later, this dynamic trio continues to emphasize the value of community.
“Everything we do is about rethinking what you already know. We just happened to use fruit as a symbol to move through those systems of knowledge,” Burns said.
Audience members began with synchronized breathing exercises as we continuously changed places in the room ““ a metaphor for changing the way we think. Lying on cushions with a banana in hand, we were led through the first series of meditation exercises that focused on relaxation and the value of simply existing in the present. The next two exercises, which involved smelling lemon peels, holding oranges, and tasting apples while wearing blindfolds, focused on self-reflection as we visualized ourselves overcoming the obstacles in our lives.
Among the participants was Phil Davis, a fourth-year art student and vice committee co-chair of the Hammer Student Association.
“At a competitive school like UCLA, it’s an awesome thing for all of us to get together on a Saturday morning and to just be present, while gaining a different perspective on our surroundings,” Davis said.
The workshop concluded with a bang. A large watermelon, which had been innocently sitting on a small platform in the center of the room, was passed around as we whispered our insecurities and negative self-perceptions into a small hole that had been cut into the center. With a large sledgehammer, we took turns smashing the fruit to bits as our worries were, literally, destroyed.
I left the Hammer relaxed, full and happy. It changed my perspective on fruit as simply an object, as well as the way I viewed myself in relation to others. Amid a stressful time of papers and midterms, I was reminded to keep things in perspective, to stay positive, and to take the time to stop and smell the lemons.